Seven thoughts every Canberran has when daylight saving ends
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It’s that time of year again. The clocks change, the temperature drops, and Canberra collectively forgets how to function after 5 pm.
Yep, Daylight Saving is ending this weekend, which means longer nights, brighter mornings, and a city full of people quietly spiralling over what time it actually is.
Here’s what we’re all thinking:
“Wait… forward or back?”
Every year. No one learns. Somewhere across Canberra, thousands of people are:
- Googling it
- Asking the group chat
- Trusting their iPhone to just sort it out
- Incessantly muttering ‘spring forward, fall back’.
The answer? This Sunday, when local time reaches 3 am, clocks will be turned backward to 2 am. An extra hour of sleep? Yes, please.
“Why is it dark when I leave the office?”
You step out of the building in Civic, and it’s like you’ve missed several hours of the day.
Wasn’t it just sunny? Didn’t you just have lunch?
Your brain says bedtime; your responsibilities say otherwise.
“There goes my Lake Burley Griffin walk.”
Remember when you said you’d start doing wholesome after-work walks around Lake Burley Griffin? Maybe even a light jog? A podcast? A moment of self-improvement?
Yeah… that version of you doesn’t exist in the dark. That was a summer personality trait.
“Braddon dinner plans are suddenly… ambitious.”
When 6 pm hits, it feels like 9.30 pm and heading out to dinner suddenly feels like a chore. Will you go? Sure.
Will you spend the entire time wishing you were already home? Also yes.
“This will be good for my sleep.”
A bold assumption. Instead, you’ll wake up at 3am, wide awake, questioning every life decision you’ve ever made. And if you’re thinking, “At least I’ll become a morning person,” this is technically true.
It’s also emotionally irrelevant.
“Is 6 pm too early for dinner?”
No one knows anymore. Time has lost all meaning. You will eat early, and you will be in bed by 8.30 pm, wondering who you’ve become.
You still won’t feel rested because your body clock has betrayed you.
“Why does this feel like a personality shift?”
And just like that, you pivot. Cosy nights. Red wine. Comfort food. Cancelling plans without guilt. Maybe this is who you are now. After all, Canberra is a vibe in winter.
Will you adjust? Of course. Will you complain about it every single year like it’s personally targeted at Canberra? Also, yes.
